Thursday, February 22, 2007
Pete Townshend teams up with Lou Reed
Pete Townshend teamed up with Lou Reed for a trio of Velvet Underground classics on February 20th in New York City at the intimate club Joe's Pub. The set was part of Townshend and his girlfriend Rachel Fuller's latest low-key acoustic gathering dubbed Attic Jam. Townshend and Reed closed the show by performing "I'm Waiting For The Man," "White Light/White Heat," and "Pale Blue Eyes," with Townshend on acoustic guitar and backing vocals and Reed singing while playing an electric guitar."
Among the songs that Townshend performed were the Who's "Sunrise" with Rachel Fuller, "See Me, Feel Me" with Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, and solo acoustic versions of "The Acid Queen," "The Real Me," "Drowned," and "Won't Get Fooled Again."
Throughout the show, Townshend and Fuller performed with such indie acts as Rachel Yamagata and Amos Lee. Comedian Jimmy Fallon emceed the event, which featured Townshend performing with each act, along with his own set. The next Attic Jam will be held on March 3rd in Los Angeles at the Hotel Cafe. The Who kick off their next of shows on Friday, February 23rd, in Reno, Nevada at the Reno Events Center.
Pete Townshend told us that the modern Who audience, which factors in many younger, less die-hard fans than back in the '70s and '80s, is more concerned with being entertained than in previous eras: "What's actually changed for us is that our audience has actually become the audience. It's not the Who audience anymore, it is the audience. When you go and play a festival now, you see young people who are willing to sit and watch the (Red Hot) Chili Peppers, you know, the Who, this artist, that artist and so on."